10 Long Weekend Things

Taking shots …

1 – DOUBLEHEADER: Call it a Super Sports Monday! If you’re a fan of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Oilers (or Vancouver Canucks), your Victoria Day is set. The Roughriders and Blue Bombers kickoff the CFL preseason at 4 pm ET at Mosaic Stadium while the Oilers and Canucks tangle in Game 7 at 9 pm ET. As for the CFL game, I’ll simply be watching to see who stands out and also for who gets a leg up for the QB2 job in Riderville. Regarding the hockey, with the Canucks missing Brock Boeser tonight due to a mysterious blood clot (cue Mike Stackhouse), I’ve got to give the edge to Edmonton in this winner-take-all battle.

2 – GAME NOTES: It’s the first Game 7 between two Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2021 when the Canadiens topped the Maple Leafs in the Toronto bubble. It’s the 15th all-time Canadian Game 7. For the Oilers, it’s their 12th-ever Game 7 and they have a 7-4 record in one-game showdowns. The Canucks scored Game 7 wins in both the 2011 and 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Furthermore, it’s the first Game 7 for goalies Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard & Arturs Silovs and coaches Kris Knoblauch and Rick Tocchet. Meanwhile Tocchet played in seven Game 7 as a player, including the 1987 Stanley Cup Final for Philadelphia against Edmonton. (You think Tocch might hate the Oilers?)

3 – IMPERIAL: Shoutout to the Saskatchewan community of Imperial (population 360) for not only producing Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, but also Utah NHL goaltender Connor Ingram who was named winner of the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Award for best displaying the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game. Connor completed the NHL’s Player Assistance Program after dealing with Alcohol Addiction, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Depression and Anxiety and went on to have a career year with the Arizona Coyotes. “You can’t make people get help, and people need to want to get help on their own and it takes a breaking point for some people and maybe some people get ahead of it,” Ingram told Fox13 Wednesday. “So if I can be that voice that says, ‘Hey, let’s go talk to somebody and tell a stranger my problems,’ why not?”

4 – NICHUSHKIN: Honestly, very lucky are those like Ingram who found success after their first crack at Recovery. I count myself in that very fortunate group. Unfortunately Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin is not, and he has entered Stage 3 of the Program, and is facing a six month suspension. I’ve encountered guys who’s taken seven, eight swings at rehab before they tackled their demons while some sadly never do. It’s up to Valeri which group he wants to be in. However we discussed this at length on the RP Show this week and it filled my inbox with viewers considering Recovery, wanting to know what it promises. Answer: Freedom and a new life!

5 – TEEPEE TALK: Brace yourself – the Moose Jaw Warriors open the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw, MI against the host Spirit on Friday evening. Brace yourself, because those first words have never been uttered before! While the rest of us Dub junkies marvel, the Warriors have already been practicing since their sweep of the WHL Final over Portland and are preparing to leave for Michigan this week. Who’s the favourite among the London Knights, Moose Jaw Warriors, Drummondville Voltigeurs and host Spirit? An NHL scout texted me this week saying, “From what I hear, London will smash everyone. But a lot of people were sure Moose Jaw wouldn’t beat Portland. It will be interesting.”

6 – SINGING THE BLUES: It’s not just a catchy tune by Marty Robbins, written in 1956. The Collingwood Blues are the 2024 Centennial Cup champions after blanking the Melfort Mustangs 1-0 on Sunday in Oakville, ON. Didya watch it on TSN? The Blues were nipping at the heels of the Flin Flon Bombers for #1 in the Gatorade Rankings all season long and actually finished #1 in the final rankings. So the best team won it all, which is what you want. The Mustangs finished #11 but made it all the way to the final, will hang a banner in the Northern Lights Palace, and coach Trevor Blevins and his staff can take a long, satisfying bow. What a fantastic season of Junior A hockey! Now they’re considering tweaks to the Centennial Cup format, which we’ll get into over the summer. For now, way to go Mustangs!

7 – KING OF COUNTRY: Saturday marked the 72nd birthday of George Strait. I’ve been in his fan club since the age of 12. Imagine what George must’ve thought while watching this year’s CMA Awards and seeing someone named Jelly Roll walk off with three trophies while George was at home on the couch! Anyway, my top 5 all-time George Strait songs are 1 – Foolhearted Memory, 2 – Oceanfront Property, 3 – Amarillo By Morning, 4 – Here For A Good Time, 5 – Troubadour.

8 – RATTLE THE RIM: The 2024 Canadian Elite Basketball Season tips off on Tuesday with the Edmonton Stingers at the Calgary Surge. The Surge are playing the game in the Saddledome, hoping to set an all-time CEBL attendance record. Ravinder and Manjit Minhas – of the original Minhas empire of Regina – are part of the Stingers ownership group. Do you follow the CEBL? I have since Day 1 (this is Year 6) and absolutely love it. On Wednesday the Saskatchewan Rattlers host the Winnipeg Sea Bears at SaskTel Centre and if my travel goes smoothly, I’ll be at SaskTel Centre for the game and plan to take the RP Show across the league this summer. We’ve entered into a partnership with the Rattlers and CEBL. They know where it’s at! We also both air on Game+ TV Network.

9 – PLAY BALL!: Not to be outdone, the Western Canadian Baseball League fires up its 2024 season on Friday night with games in Fort McMurray, Weyburn and Okotoks, followed up by games Saturday in Regina, Sylvan Lake & Moose Jaw. I’ll be working with this league – and one team in particular – as well! If you love sports, these leagues add something fun to do in the summertime, at a low price. Interestingly, alternative leagues like the NLL, CEBL and CPL opted for Saskatoon over Regina because they rightfully felt the Riders had a stranglehold on the marketplace. So now, Southern Saskatchewan sports fans have to travel. At least there’s no ice!

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Deep down they know, and that’s good enough for me. … In the Florida Keys they have a hospital just for whales and dolphins! … How has there not been a Key Lime Pie Blizzard? … Don’t let them twist the narrative or history on you. … Why do hotels ask you at online booking if there is one guest or two? What’s the difference. … Last summer was the hottest on record in the history of the planet, and this summer is on pace to beat that. There was a severe heat advisory issued for Palm Beach County this weekend. I’m out! If I can swing it, I’ll be in Canada every summer but this one for sure. … The Regina Pats have the BEST sportswear in the Province, followed by the Rattlers, Roughriders, Saskatoon Berries and La Ronge Ice Wolves, in that order. … Punxsutawney Phil’s offspring have names that just might help the famed weather-forecasting groundhog to predict when spring will begin. Phil’s human handlers chose Mother’s Day to announce that the two kits born this spring to Phil and his partner, Phyllis, are named Sunny and Shadow. Sunny is a female, Shadow a male. The club received hundreds of suggested names for the marmot babies. The groundhog family lives in a climate-controlled burrow at the local library. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen